Fr Josef Kuczmanski

Early Life

Josef Kuczmanski was born at Gorzuchy in Poland on December 12, 1907. He received his early primary schooling at Gorzuchy and secondary education at Kalisz. His ecclesiastical studies were undertaken Wloclawek Seminary and received his Licentiate in Theology at Kraken University. He was ordained priest at Wloclawek on June 28, 1935.

Little is known of his work in Poland but during the Second World War he suffered extensively and was brutally tortured, leaving scars that stayed with him for life. He eventually escaped and came to Australia as a refugee, firstly to the Migrant Camp at Bonagilla. Initially his identity as a priest was not widely known, but when it was revealed he was able to move out of the camp and he came to Adelaide, arriving here on August 5, 1949.

Work in South Australia

On his arrival he was appointed Chaplain to the Polish community in Adelaide, many of whom were also coming as refugees from war torn Eastern Europe.

For more than seven years he lived at Archbishop’s House at West Terrace and worked diligently among the many Polish immigrants. In February 1957 he moved from West Terrace to live at the Polish Orphanage at Royal Park which had been established by the Resurrection Sisters to care for unaccompanied Polish children. As well as being chaplain at the home he continued to work among the Polish community. He shared this work with Fr Rutkowski who was also a post war refugee like Fr Kuczmanski.

Fr Kuczmanski was incardinated into the Archdiocese on November 25, 1965. Soon after this he took some leave and returned to Poland to join the celebration of the 1000 years of Christianity in Poland. In November 1967 he was appointed a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council as a representative of the migrant communities.

Retirement

As his health was deteriorating he retired from active ministry on April 23, 1973 and went for a time to live in Geelong. Four months later he returned to Adelaide and took up residence at Villa Beovich at Myrtle Bank. 

He continued to have frequent contact with the Polish community which has become well established with two groups of Polish priests caring for them, the Resurrection Fathers and the Society of Christ who had also taken over use of the Church of the Resurrection at Wayville.

In 1984 Fr Kuczmanski again travelled to Poland for a holiday. However, soon after he returned he suffered a relapse in his health, suffered a heart attack and died in Flinders Hospital on October 13, 1984. His Funeral Mass, attended by a large number of the Polish community was celebrated in the Church of the Resurrection at Wayville on October 20, 1984.